Catalyst Pedals: A Cyclist’s Perspective | Natural Footgear

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In this review of Catalyst Pedals, we'll share our experiences as both cyclists and physicians focusing on natural foot health and explain why we think this pedal is an excellent product for cyclists of all ages, abilities, and disciplines.
The Catalyst Pedal represents a significant departure from conventional flat or clipless pedals and challenges long-held beliefs in the cycling community about pedal stroke and what constitutes an optimal pedal/shoe setup.
The Catalyst Pedal doesn’t require a cycling-specific shoe and allows you to wear comfortable, foot-healthy shoes with flat soles and wide toe boxes. The extra-long length of these pedals offers your foot a nice platform to rest on, which translates into enhanced foot comfort throughout your ride as well as improved power transfer and pedaling efficiency. We’ll discuss the benefits of the extra-long pedal length in more detail a bit later in this review.
Created by James Wilson, a Colorado-based strength and conditioning coach, the Catalyst Pedal was developed to take advantage of natural foot and lower body biomechanics to optimize performance on the bike, boost stability and confidence in the rider, and improve cyclists’ comfort.
Most pedals are designed with the false assumption that pushing through the ball of the foot is the optimal method of force transfer. The Catalyst Pedal, on the other hand, allows both the ball of your foot and your heel to remain connected to the pedal during the pedaling motion, providing more power and stability.
A pedal that’s long enough to accommodate both the ball of your foot and your heel, such as the Catalyst Pedal, enables natural arch support, stabilizes your main foot arch, and changes your pedal stroke in a favorable way by allowing you to better incorporate your large hip extensor muscles. These adept and powerful muscles, such as your glutes and hamstrings, are crucial to the pedaling motion.
One predominant myth in the cycling community involves the upstroke phase of the pedaling motion. Cyclists have long been counseled to “pull up” on the backstroke while pushing down with the other leg. In his Flat Pedal Revolution Manifesto, James cites several Cycling Efficiency Studies and EMG recordings that show that trying to pull up on the backstroke, or “spin circles,” actually results in a less powerful and efficient pedal stroke. What the studies reveal is that the human body prefers to push down hard and then let the trailing leg return in a passive manner, such as what occurs while running or walking.
Catalyst Pedals are extraordinarily comfortable, and if your experience is anything like ours, your feet will still feel great even after multi-hour rides. This is because the pedaling motion encouraged by the pedals prevents the repetitive jamming of your toes into your shoe’s toe box-something that occurs with every pedal stroke when using conventional pedals and conventional cycling shoes.
Catalyst Pedals possess adjustable traction pins for excellent grip. They eliminate the frequent need to tighten and reposition cycling shoe cleats and adjust clipless pedal tension. They also eliminate the likelihood that a cycling shoe cleat malfunction will derail your ride, and they make mounting and dismounting quick, easy, and safe. Indeed, Catalyst Pedals allow you to go from cycling to walking with tremendous ease.
Each pair of Catalyst Pedals weighs about 505 grams, which is about twice as much as a pair of higher-end clipless carbon pedals-a potential downside to those who are very concerned about weight. As with other flat pedals, there are also ground contact considerations with Catalyst Pedals due to their width. For us, these tradeoffs are worth the enhanced pedaling experience these pedals offer the rider.
The Catalyst Pedal is made of 6061 aluminum and is available in 4 anodized colors: black, blue, red, and gray. The pedal is 5.6 inches long, making it the longest platform pedal on the market, and it’s 3.75 inches wide. It’s also 0.6 inches thick, which keeps the pedals’ profile low.
In our experience as road cyclists, we have truly enjoyed using Catalyst Pedals and would not trade them for any other pedal. Whether you’re a competitive mountain biker, an avid road cyclist, or a dedicated bike commuter, Catalyst Pedals can be a great option and offer you something that no other pedal can: The ability to realize your strongest and most comfortable pedal stroke.

[@ebikesmile2743]

I have these pedals on my eMTB full-suspension Levo and they are brilliant! Thanks for the review.

[@NaturalFootgear]

Hi, ebike Smile! Thank you for your comment. We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed the video and are loving your Catalyst Pedals!

[@leroygrayjr.2957]

Yes !

[@NaturalFootgear]

Thank you for your comment, leroy!

[@rjahn3000]

Great pedal, I look at it this way....if you have ever crushed an aluminum can with your foot you place it on the ground then stomp it with you heel to mid foot not the ball of your foot, his is the way optimal energy from the hips is transferred straight down as you stomp. I just ordered these pedals.

[@NaturalFootgear]

Great analogy! Thank you for sharing that, Ray J. Spot on! We hope you've been enjoying your Catalyst Pedals!

[@vgamedude12]

These sound perfect for me since I really do prefer minimalist shoes in general. I hate wearing heavy rocks on my feet.

[@NaturalFootgear]

Sounds good, Harrison! We hope you enjoy the pedals if you pick up a pair for yourself.

[@albertt.2304]

Hi, i consider putting these onto my road bike. Do you always pedal with mid-foot position? Or do you still revert to ball of the foot position and "ankling" (e.g. when descending at low intensity but fast cadence)? Also, seems the saddle and bars would need to be lowered. Any rules of thumb to recommend here? Thanks...

[@NaturalFootgear]

Thanks for your comment, Albert T! We do find ourselves pretty much always pedaling using the mid-foot position, including when descending at low intensity and fast cadence. James, the creator of Catalyst Pedals, says the following about minor modifications to the bike that are helpful or required to get the most out of the pedals: “As far as tweaks go, what we've found is that most riders will need to lower their seat 2-3 cm and may also need to move their seats forward a bit. This actually leads to one of the little-known advantages of the mid-foot position-it brings your center of gravity lower, which helps keep you planted and balanced. It also helps keep weight on the front end when cornering.” We hope this info helps!

[@MissingLinkMTB]

I wonder if coupling these with an oval chainring makes a huge difference.

[@NaturalFootgear]

We haven't personally used Catalyst Pedals in combination with an oval chain ring, but that would be an interesting experiment. If you ever get a chance to pair these two things, we'd love to hear about your experience.

[@MissingLinkMTB]

@@NaturalFootgear it's on my list but won't be able to do it until late August with my Army schedule.

[@NaturalFootgear]

Thank you for your service!

[@MissingLinkMTB]

@@NaturalFootgear you're welcome.

[@mattmedrano9789]

What kind of shoe do you recommend?

[@NaturalFootgear]

Hi, Matt. For cycling with Catalyst Pedals, we prefer minimalist athletic shoes (i.e., lightweight, wide toe box, zero drop sole) that possess a mildly rigid sole (something that you can still bend or twist with relative ease but that will still offer a buffer between the foot's sole and the traction pins).

[@johntanchong3166]

Where can I buy this?

[@NaturalFootgear]

Hi, John. Thank you for your question. You can visit this page to order your pedals: naturalfootgear.com/products/pedaling-innovations-catalyst-pedals. Let us know if you have any other questions!

[@WesTaylorPhotography]

Been using these for 2 years. I will never go back to any other flats. Got rid of my other expensive flats after 2 months. Still wondering why these have not caught on more. I too have had less strikes and my PRs on downhill sections have gone up.

[@NaturalFootgear]

Awesome! We're glad to hear that you're enjoying your Catalyst Pedals, Wes. They really are a cut above.